Session: Trauma and Resilience: Understanding Mental Health Among Refugees (Society for Social Work and Research 22nd Annual Conference - Achieving Equal Opportunity, Equity, and Justice)

In responding to world's humanitarian crises, United States have resettled the largest share of refugees around the world since the second World War. Some refugee groups, such as Vietnamese and Cambodian have resettled in the 1970s and 1980s, while other refugees from Bhutan, Burma, and, most recently, Syria have started to resettle in the past 10 to 15 years. Notwithstanding the length of stay in the United States, their experiences of being refugees can remain as liability as they attempt to adjust to new life in the United States and try to re-establish their sense of normalcy in a foreign cultural milieu.

This symposium convenes four presentations on refugee groups who have come to the United States during a different resettlement era to examine their trauma, stressors, and resilience as they relate to mental health. Although the United States has accepted a large number of refugees over the years, we have not adequately responded to their physical and mental health needs, which are essential for optimal integration into a new society. This symposium includes a presentation on Vietnamese and Cambodian adult females, who came decades ago, two presentations on refugees from Bhutan and Burma, who came in the past decade, and Syrian adults, who have begun to resettle since 2015. The focus of this symposium is to examine a variety of refugee groups in identifying factors associated with mental health issues, as well as a source of inner strengths that can help overcome atrocities they have faced.

Cindy Sangalang & Tracy W. Harachi report on pre- and post-migration stressors on physical and mental health among Vietnamese and Cambodian refugee women (N= 284). The study results found protective factors, including ethnicity and health, and risk factors, including pre-migration trauma and post-migration discrimination. This study demonstrates that the importance of lasting pre-migration trauma as well as post-resettlement risk and resilience factors for Vietnamese and Cambodian refugee women.

Isok Kim reports ethnic differences in behavioral health status between two major Burmese ethnic groups: Karen (n=100) and Burman (n=84). The presentation will highlight ethnic differences across four behavioral health conditions (depression, anxiety, PTSD, and alcohol use disorder). This study points to the importance of understanding unique inter-ethnic history of Burma that contributed to these differences between ethnic Karens and Burmans.

Isok Kim and his colleagues present the results of a pilot study on community needs assessment for Bhutanese-Nepali refugees (N=86). Although they have received much attention due to alarmingly high suicidal rates in their community, there exists little to no empirical data regarding their behavioral health status. This study examined various sociocultural factors associated with behavioral health conditions, including depression, anxiety, PSTD, and alcohol use disorder.

Diane Mitschke & Nabiha Hasan explore the relationship between resilience and Islam religion among adult Syrian refugees (N=10). In this qualitative inquiry, their findings suggest that, when faced with overwhelming atrocities, Syrian refugees found a source of inner strength to overcome trauma and tragedy on their resettlement journey through the Islamic faith.